News and Events => People news => Topic started by: Shana A on June 18, 2009, 08:36:18 AM Return to Full Version

Title: Laos tackles transgender taboos
Post by: Shana A on June 18, 2009, 08:36:18 AM

Laos tackles transgender taboos

A new drive to contain the spread of HIV/Aids in Laos is forcing officials to recognise a marginalised group - transgender men known as "katheoy". The BBC's Jill McGivering went to meet some of them in the capital, Vientiane.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8091764.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8091764.stm)

Khom was born male.

But she has thought of herself as female since she was about nine years old.

Now 28, she could easily be accepted as a woman. She has long, styled hair, make-up, and a gentle, feminine manner.

But when she talks about her experiences of being "katheoy" in Laos, her voice is solemn. They're not fully accepted, she says.